It is well known in the part of power hand tools that switch mechanisms are employed for controlling the state of actuation of the tool. Such switches typically include a switch housing and an actuating mechanism which is slidably received within the switch housing to make and break contacts to turn the tool on and off. Such switch mechanisms are also employed to control the speed of the motor through appropriate speed control circuitry and/or to control the operational direction of the tool as by implementation of a reversing mechanism.
In previously known switches, the actuating member has typically employed a slide mechanism having one end thereof received within a switch housing and having the other end thereof configured in the form of a trigger or the like for engagement by the operator's finger. Numerous types of trigger configurations and contours are known, some accommodating a single finger, others accommodating plural fingers, some being arcuate tin nature, while others are of a more linear design. In the past, the actuator and trigger have often been configured as a unitary elements, typically being formed or molded together. Accordingly, each actuator and switch assembly has associated therewith a particular trigger configuration. Presently, it has become desirable to provide standardized switch assemblies with various types of trigger configurations. In other words, it has become desirable to provide a means for attaching various types of triggers to a single actuator to be employed in a single switch housing, rather than designing each switch, actuator, and trigger as a single package. The savings in manufacturing costs and the flexibility of the switch to accommodate various trigger configurations is self apparent.